The leaves of the golden veins floated beside Ren, slowly transforming into countless motes of light and disappearing. The World Tree pupil pattern in his eyes also faded as the power receded, returning to his usual gray irises.
Just as this mysterious aura, distinct from the authority of Dominance, dissipated, the girl resting on his lap also opened her eyes.
Gazing into Kiana's clear and resolute eyes, Ren secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
His previous self-righteous arrangements had left a fatal flaw in Kiana's Flamescion path, causing her to waver during the battle with the Herrscher of Ice and become injured as a result. This was an intolerable mistake for Ren.
Because he knew very well that for a Herrscher, wavering in their heart was extremely dangerous and fatal. A slight carelessness could drag them into the abyss of Honkai.
If Kiana hadn't escaped the predicament of her consciousness, it was very likely that she would never reach the shore of Flamescion.
To avoid this situation, Ren had no choice but to once again use his original power, stealing a portion of power from the Imaginary Tree to maintain Kiana's consciousness space.
Fortunately, it seemed that the girl was far more resolute than he had imagined. This level of wavering was not enough to affect her true self.
However, this still caused a trace of lingering fear in Ren's heart. He would always believe in Kiana, but that didn't mean he could tolerate his own mistakes causing Kiana to be injured.
Of course, the truth was not quite like that.
Thinking that his excessive arrangements had caused Kiana to fall into confusion was actually just Ren's one-sided perception. He thought it was his mistake that made Kiana waver.
But for Kiana, the real reason for her wavering was failing to perceive Ren in the light of Flamescion. She felt that she had forgotten her original intention.
This mismatched information gap caused the two to have erroneous perceptions, yet coincidentally formed a perfect tacit understanding. They both believed they owed each other, and therefore wanted to make amends for each other.
Relieved, Ren lowered his eyes and apologized softly, "Sorry."
"I'm the one who should apologize." Kiana slightly shook her head. In Ren's surprised gaze, she grasped his somewhat hesitant hand.
"The light of Flamescion shouldn't belong to me alone." She intertwined her fingers with Ren's, then slowly released them. In the palms of their hands, a small flame was emitting warm light.
A gentle breeze brushed over the verdant lawn. It was clearly a frigid winter, yet even the snow and ice seemed extraordinarily warm.
Ren leaned back against the tree, and the girl rested her head on his lap. The two were just like when they first met, even time seemed to become tranquil.
Unfortunately, this was not a peaceful time after all. As Ren's power dissipated, the biting wind and snow once again clung to the melting treetops, and the bound Herrscher of Ice also broke free again.
At the same time, losing Ren's maintenance, the stability of the rift created by the Time Crystal was also getting worse and worse. The surrounding space showed signs of collapse. This space could fall into the torrent of time at any moment, and it would be troublesome to return to the real world again at that point.
The Herrscher of Ice's massive body hovered in the sky, screeching sharply. Kiana's previous attacks had already driven it into a frenzy, and it began to indiscriminately attack its surroundings.
The small buildings of Berlin were completely destroyed, with collapsed walls and ruins everywhere. The collapsed debris was affected by the authority of gravity, orbiting around the Herrscher in the form of a nebula.
The Herrscher of Ice's rampage interrupted their tender moment. They were forced to get up and prepare to first eliminate the threat.
"Flamescion is your power, it belongs exclusively to you. Don't hesitate at all, use it to your heart's content." To prevent Kiana from doubting herself again, Ren had to instruct her again.
"Leave the problem of maintaining the space to me. Just focus on fighting with all your strength."
Ren's idea was simple: since Kiana lacked confidence in using Flamescion, then he would give her more of the stage. And this time, he would no longer interfere, focusing on doing logistics well would be enough.
However, after he finished speaking, he found that Kiana, who was holding his hand, showed no sign of letting go at all. He looked at her in confusion, but saw a pair of blazing eyes.
"I said, this is a power that belongs to both of us." For some reason, Kiana's tone gave Ren a sense of undeniable certainty. She firmly grasped Ren's hand, not giving him a chance to leave.
"It shouldn't be just me alone basking in the light. Together with me, okay?"
"…" The two gazed at each other, and Ren suddenly felt a sense of daze. What he was looking at was not the weak girl of the past, but the truly grown-up Kiana.
She had her own persistence, her own opinions, and was not a girl who always chased after Ren's shadow.
And wasn't this exactly the appearance Ren had been expecting? Wasn't this the very meaning of Flamescion's existence?
"Yeah."
Facing Kiana's burning gaze, Ren quickly gave in. He tried his best to maintain his usual calmness, but still couldn't help but reveal a heartfelt smile.
This was not a smile disguised as a Herrscher, but the most genuine relief of Ren's existence.
The current Kiana had already shed the shadows of the past and become a true warrior.
He let Kiana hold him, and the two flew into the sky with the support of the Herrscher of the Void's authority.
The gray sky was almost completely occupied by the Herrscher of Ice's nebula, and the entire city of Berlin appeared dim and lightless.
Standing in the boundless sky, Ren turned his gaze to Kiana. In their clasped hands, the small flame, facing the biting cold wind, flourished and grew, transforming into a blazing sword of flames.
Instinctively sensing the threat, the Herrscher of Ice immediately released all of its grappling claws, attacking them like comets falling from the clouds. At the same time, the entire nebula in the sky, along with the storm, transformed into a silent deep space, and in the black background, azure light spots began to flicker, like a real starry sky.
A single grappling claw self-detonation was enough to destroy half a city block, but now what they faced was an entire starry sky.
However, the two at this moment seemed oblivious, not even looking at the Herrscher of Ice's attack. They just tacitly grasped the hilt of the Flamescion greatsword and raised it high towards the sky.
«Flamescion.»
The intense crisis made the Herrscher of Ice even more terrified. It desperately unleashed all of its attacks. With the input of countless Honkai energy, the speed of the grappling claws was more than doubled compared to before, covering the location of the two in an instant.
Boom!
Unreservedly transforming into thick smoke and white light, it completely swallowed Ren and Kiana. The fragile space around them also completely collapsed in the explosion, and the chaotic torrent of time tore everything in the city apart.
But when the smoke cleared, an even more dazzling light was becoming brighter and brighter. The Herrscher of Ice's attack couldn't even interfere with Kiana.
The deep blue Gem of Serenity, the golden Herrscher of the Void core, the burning Flamescion core, and the light purple Grains of Time, all transformed into a part of Flamescion's authority.
The final form of the Flamescion greatsword was about to be completed. Such power was enough to cut through anything, but Kiana seemed to be waiting for something, and did not immediately unleash this sword strike.
Ren sighed helplessly and secretly glanced at Kiana. Taking advantage of the fact that she wasn't paying attention, he quietly pressed his Herrscher of Dominance core into the slot of the Flamescion greatsword.
At this point, the long-standing imperfection was finally compensated. In an instant, Flamescion bloomed with even brighter light.
However, when Ren withdrew his gaze and looked back at Kiana, he found that she was looking at him with a smile in her eyes.
Before Ren could explain, Kiana grabbed the Flamescion greatsword, along with his hand, and slashed directly towards the Herrscher of Ice's location.
"With this raging fire."
«Cut through all!»
The girl's voice was sonorous, carrying an indomitable momentum. And if you listened carefully, it was not difficult to discern Ren's voice.
As the Flamescion in their hands was unleashed, the surrounding space instantly fell into stasis. The authority of Grains of Time was triggered first, freezing the collapsing torrent of time on the verge of shattering. The spatial collapse caused by the lack of maintenance was like being pressed the pause button, transforming into a part of Grains of Time.
In the next second, in the deathly starry sky created by the Herrscher of Ice, dazzling firelight suddenly erupted, turning the snow-covered night into a sunny day.
The Herrscher of Ice mobilized all of its nebula, transforming it into countless airtight rock walls to block in front of itself. But this did not buy it any chance. Layer upon layer of nebula transformed into countless gravel, easily shattered by the indomitable Flamescion.
Until finally all defenses were completely dissolved, what appeared before it were the boy and girl wielding the sword together.
Ren and Kiana transformed into shooting stars rising against the current, intersecting with the ice stars that were constantly falling.
Behind them, the Herrscher of Ice's massive body froze, then transformed into a sun-like giant fireball, collapsing bit by bit.
At the same time, above Coral Island, which had been shrouded in the Herrscher of Ice's shadow, bright firelight suddenly bloomed, soaring straight into the clouds.
People were startled by this sudden light, and they all raised their heads to gaze at the sky.
Until the storm clouds completely dissipated, and the haze that had been weighing on everyone's hearts disappeared, they came back to their senses as if waking from a dream.
"It's over…"